Q&A for How to Make a Prank Call and Not Be Caught

Probably not. That type of call is very silly and obviously a prank—plus, most people wouldn't call the police because a random stranger told them they smelled bad.

It ultimately depends on the type of prank you're placing and the mood of the person you're pranking. Some prank calls could be considered harassment or disorderly conduct, which is banned in many different states and regions. You can also get in legal trouble if you record a call without the other person's permission (in certain states).

Some prank-calling services let pranksters choose a phone number to spoof when the call gets placed. If someone types in your phone number, the app will make it look like you are placing the prank call.

Use a specialty prank-calling app! These apps can deliver a pre-recorded prank call to your friend while spoofing/hiding your number on caller ID. You can also type *67 before their number, which blocks prevents your caller ID from showing up.

Yes, you can. Spoofed phone numbers can still be traced, but it takes a lot longer. Depending on the situation, the cops might not feel like going to the trouble of tracing and tracking you down—but don't bank on this if you're planning on prank-calling someone!

That's not a great idea. While the prank itself is harmless, that type of call is rude and disruptive to the person answering the phone. Depending on their mood, they might report the call to the local police.

Maybe try apologizing, saying that you truly are sorry, and that you promise to never do anything like that again. It would be best to just call the police and tell them that it was a prank call and you didn't realize it would be taken so seriously. And in the future, never 'prank call' people about serious things like this.

In the future, use the *67 code before you dial their number and they can't *69 you themselves. However, if they are upset enough they can report it to the police and you can be traced through the phone company. Many people threaten to call the police but they never do. Apologize to them profusely if this does happen to you, and ask that they don't call the police. If they do anyway, it's possible that you'll be contacted by the police or they will show up at your house. Whether you will get in trouble depends on what you were saying during the prank call and the nature of the prank.

You don't have to, although it might be fun to do play around with voices. If you are prank calling someone you know, you should change it so that they won't recognize your voice. Otherwise, you can do whatever you want.

Before you dial their phone number, punch in the *67 code. Right after you punch in *67, dial their number.

Dial *67 before making the call from your house phone. Using this code will keep your phone number from appearing on a caller ID display. This code works best when you are making one harmless prank call from a cell phone or home phone. The protection that *67 provides can be destroyed pretty quickly if it needs to be. This code is fairly useless if the police get involved because they can bypass that code easily to get your information. Otherwise, you're good!

Everything should be the same in Canada, including the use of the *67 code to block your number from appearing in someone's caller ID display.

You need to put 141 instead of *67 in UK.

The person receiving this call won't be able to see your number, but police are capable of tracking it if you try to pull off a serious prank. And yes, *67 will work on the same number twice but it is easier to track and the person on the other end may recognize you, so it is not recommended.

It should be. I have seen many YouTube videos of this and they don’t get in trouble. It should be harmless as long as you don’t threaten anyone.

The call will be traced if you don't use *67. You must dial *67 before dialing the number so the call can't be traced. It doesn't matter where you're calling.

*67 works with any phone in the U.S. It will work if you are using an iPhone, Samsung, landline, etc.

It will work in North America. For codes in other regions, search "cell phone block code" and the country in Google.

Yes, for your family at least. For your friends, as long as you use *67 and disguise your voice, you'll probably be fine.

It's extremely unlikely you're going to be arrested for a prank call, unless you called in a bomb threat or otherwise directly threatened to harm someone. If you did not do one of these things, at worst, you will probably have to pay a fine. Simply apologize for what you did and promise never to do it again. They may go easy on you.

It isn't recommended. If it is a call that could get you into trouble, the police could find it on your cloud. Besides, anyone who can get their hands on your phone would be able to hear it.

No, the code is different in different places and the code is *43 in Israel.

Use a burner phone or download an app to generate a fake number.

Yes. You can be traced by your SIM card. Even if you take your SIM card out, you can be traced by your GPS location and your phone's IP address.

Yes, except you'd need to punch in #31# before the number you're pranking. Otherwise, it's the same.

*67 is important if you want to call someone that has your number saved so *67 makes the phone number and caller ID not show up, so they can’t figure out it is you.

If you don't use *67, they will be able to see your phone number if they have caller ID, which means yes, you could get caught. They might call you back, or they might call the police and report your number.